The Donglin Academy (东林书院 Dōnglín Shūyuàn), also known as the Guishan Academy (龟山书院 Guīshān Shūyuàn), was originally built in A.D. 1111 during the Northern Song dynasty at present-day Wuxi in China. It was originally a school where the neo-Confucian scholar Yang Shi taught, but later fell into disuse. In 1604, during the Wanli era, Gu Xiancheng (顾宪成 Gù Xiànchéng, (1550-1612)), a Ming Grand Secretary, along with Gao Panlong (高攀龍 Gāo Pānlóng, 1562-1626), a scholar, restored the Donglin Academy on the same site with the financial backing of local gentry and officials. Alternative meaning: Song Dynasty (420-479) The Song dynasty (Chinese: 宋朝) was a ruling dynasty in China from 960-1279. ... Wuxi (Simplified Chinese: 无锡; Traditional Chinese: 無錫; Pinyin: WúxÄ«; former spellings: Wu-hsi, Wuhsi, or Wusih; lit. ... Neo-Confucianism (理學 Pinyin: Lǐxué) is a term for a form of Confucianism that was primarily developed during the Song dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang dynasty. ... Wanli Emperor Birth and death: Sept. ...

The Donglin Movement

The motivation for founding the Academy was concern about the state of the bureaucracy and its inability to bring about improvement. The Academy represented a resort to moral Confucian traditions as a means of arriving at fresh moral evaluations. Thereafter it became a centre of dissent for public affairs in the late Ming and early Qing periods. Many supporters of Donglin were found in the bureaucracy and it become deeply involved in factional politics. The Qing Dynasty (Manchu: daicing gurun; Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: qīng cháo; Wade-Giles: ching chao), sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China expanded into China proper and the surrounding territories of...

During the reign of the Emperor Tianqi, Donglin opposition to the eunuch Wei Zhongxian resulted in the closure of the Academy in 1622 and the torture and execution of its head, Yang Lian, and five other members in 1624. The accession of the Chongzhen Emperor restored the fortunes of the Donglin faction. Later during Chongzhen's reign, Donglin partisans found themselves opposed to the Grand Secretary Wen Tiren, eventually arranging his dismissal in 1637. Categories: Stub | 1605 births | 1627 deaths | Ming Dynasty emperors ... Wei Zhongxian (魏忠賢) (1568-October 19, 1627) is considered by most historians as the most powerful and notorious eunuch in Chinese history. ... Chongzhen Emperor (WG: Chung-chen) (February 6, 1611 - April 25, 1644) was last emperor of Ming dynasty in China between 1627 and 1644. ...

The Donglin Academy can be found at 867, Jiefang Donglu, Wuxi City.